Tube-ejecting and offtake mechanism for tube-making machines



Nov. 11,

w. T. DAVIS TUBE EJECTING AND QFF-TAKE MECHANISM FOR TUBE MAKING MACHINES Filed June 27 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 11, 1924. 1,513,383

- w. T. DAVIS.

TUBE EJECTING AND OFF-TAKE MECHANISM FOR TUBE MAKING MACHINES Filed June 27 192) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov. 11, 1924- w 1515,1583 w. T. DAVIS TUBE EJE CTING AND OFF-TAKE MECHANISM FOR TUBE MAKING MACHINES Filed June 27 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

UNITED STATES v 1,515,383 PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER '1. DAVIS, OF WHEELING; WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR '10 WHEELING STAMP- ING COMPANY, OF WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIR- GINIA,

TUBE-EJECTING AND OFFTA KE MECHANISM FOR TUBE-MAKING MACHINES.

Application filed June 27, 1921. Serial No. 480,676.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER T. DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residin at Wheeling, in the county of Ohio and tate of West Virginia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Tube-Ejecting and Ofltake Mechanism for Tube-Making-Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which 2-- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying my invention, with a portion of the ofl -take conveyor cutaway;

Figure 2 is a View, partially in top plan and partially in horizontal section;

Figure 3 is a detail side view, showing certain of the actuating parts;

Figure 4 is a vertical section showing the extrusion plunger;

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the parts; and

Figure 6 is a vertical section of one of the off-take cups or pockets.

My invention has relation to machines for forming collapsible metal tubes, and more particularly to tube ejecting and off-take mechanism for use in connection with machines which form the tubes by the extrusion method.

Heretofore in so far as I am aware, it has been customary to remove the formed tubes from the plunger of the extrusion machine by hand. These tubes are of very thin metal and are apt to -be bent and injured unless handled very carefully. The object of my invention is to provide simple and eflicient means for stripping the formed tubes from the plunger of the extrusion machine, together with conveyor mechanism which receives the tubes as they are thus stripped and conveys them to a point where'they may be manually removed easily and without inury thereto. I

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, and

which will now be described, it being premised, however, that various changes may be made in the details, construction, arrangement and operation of the various parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the frame of the extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes. 3 is the reciprocating plunger carrier; 4 is the stationary die which cooperates with the plunger; 5 is a suitable feed hopper for containing the blanks from which the tubes are to be made; 6 is a delivery chute leading from the hopper to the die 4; and 6 is any usual or suitable mechanism for feeding the blanks delivered from the chute 6 into the general, of any well known or suitable character, and in themselves form no part of my present invention.

The extrusion plunger 7,is arranged to swing in a horizontal plane in the usual manner about the center 8 indicated in Figure 2, from a position over the die 4 to a discharge position in front of said die. This swinging movement is effected by mounting the plunger 7 on a horizontal arm 9 which is connected to the post 10 having a stud 11 which Works in the cam slot 12, so that as the punch carrier is reciprocated the punch will be swung back and forth about the center 8, being over the die 4 as it makes its descending tube-forming stroke, and

of the collapsible tube in the usual manner.-

The diameter of the plunger rod 13 is somewhat smaller than the diameter of the bore of the plunger in which it is seated, bein capable of limited vertical movement in said plunger. It is provided at its upper portion with a pin 16 which engages slots 17 in a sleeve member 18, this pin supporting the plunger rod. Said rod also has a head 19 at its upper end The head 14 at the lower end also acts as a valve when the plunger rod is. raised. 20 designates a flexible air supply pipe which communicates with a suitable source of air supply, such as indicated at 21, through a valve 22. The stem of this valve has a lever 23 to which is connected one end main shaft of such machine.

of a chain 24, the other end of said chain being connected to a part- Which reciprocates vertically with the punch 7. The other end of the pipe 20 communicates with a passage 25 which in turn communicates with the space around the plunger rod 13.

In operation, upon each up stroke of the punch 7, the tension of the chain 24: opens the valve 23 and admits a pufi' of air into the space around the plunger rod 13. This pufl of air escapes past the head 14 of said rod and, entering within the collapsible tube which has been formed in the usual manner around the plunger 7, acts to strip said tube from the plunger. At this time the plunger has been moved to its forward position, where it is directly over a receiving guide 25. This guide 26 is in the form of a cup open at both ends and also having an opening 27 in one side, as shown in Figure 2. 28 is an endless conveyor chain mounted for travel below the guide 27 and to which is attached a series of receiving cups or pockets 29, each of which is adapted to receive a formed tube, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 6. These tubes are lined with some material, such as thick felt, indicated at 30 in Figure 6, which will prevent injury to the tubes as they are discharged therein. The chain 28 passes around the idler sprocket wheels 31 and is driven by the sprocket wheel 32. The wheel 32 is de-- signed to have a step-by-step movement sufficient at each movement to bring the new cup underneath the guide 26. Said wheel 32 may be driven in any suitable manner, as by the bevel gears 33 actuated by the pawl and ratchet device 34 which, in turn, is actuated by a connection 35 with the actuating connections 36 for the feeding mechanism of the hopper 5. This feeding mechanism is, in turn, actuated by any suitable connection 37 with some moving part of the extrusion machine, such as the cocentric 38, which may be located on the The collapsible tubes as they are formed i are thus discharged successively into different cups or pockets 29 and are carried in these pockets in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 2. As they reach the right hand end portion of the conveyor, they are removed from the cups by an attendant.

The advantages of my invention will be apparent to those familiar with the manutacture of collapsible tubes, since it provides a simple, efiective and reliable ejectmg and off-take mechanism which obviates the necessity for the manual stripping of the tubes from the plunger, and which enables them to be removed from the machine without bending or otherwise injuring them.

I cla1m: I

1. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes having a rea Y misses ciprocating plunger around which the tubes are formed, and means for periodically admitting air to the interior of the formed tubes while on the plunger to thereby strip then'rfroin the plunger, substantially as described. i

2. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes having a hollow plunger upon which the tubes are formed, and means for periodicall admitting air through said plun er into t e lower portions of the formed tu es, substantially as described.

3. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes comprising a reciprocating plunger upon which the tubes are formed, said plunger having an air opening therethrough, an air supply connection communicating with said opening, a valve in said connection, and means operated by the movements of the machine for actuating said valve to periodically admit air within the plunger, substantially as de scribed. I

4. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, the combination with a vertically reciprocating horizontally swinging plunger upon which the tubes are.

formed, of means for automatically stripping the tormed tubes from said plunger. and conveying mechanism for receiving the tubes as they are stripped from the plunger, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, the combination with a vertically reciprocating horizontally swinging plunger upon which the tubes are formed, of means for automatically stripping the formed tubes from the plunger, and a conveyor arranged to travel underneath the plunger in one position of the latter, said conveyor having a plurality of cups or pockets for receiving the stripped tubes, substantially as described.

6. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, the combination with a vertically reciprocating horizontally swinging plunger upon which the tubes are fonn ed, of means for automatically stripping the formed tubes from the plunger, and a conveyor arranged to travel underneath the plunger in one position of the latter, said conveyor having a plurality of cups 0r pockets for receiving the stripped tubes, together with a guide for guiding the stripped tubes from the plunger into said pockets, substantially as described.

7. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, the combination with a vertically reciprocating horizontally swinging plunger upon which the tubes are formed, of means for automatically stripping the formed tubes from the plunger, and a conveyor arranged to travel underneath the plunger in one position of the lllO latter, said conveyor having a lurality of cups or pockets for receiving t e stripped tubes, together with means for elfecting a step-by-step movement of the conveyor in timed relation to the movements of said plunger, substantially as described.

8. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, comprising a vertically reciprocating plunger, means for swinging said plunger outwardly upon its ascending movement, means for automatically stripping the formed tubes from the plunger as the latter ascends, and a conveyor mounted for travel below the plunger in its outwardly swung position, substantially as described.

9. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, comprising a vertically reciprocating plunger, means for swinging said plunger outwardly upon its ascending movement, means for automatically stripping the-formed tubes' from the plunger as the latter ascends, and a conveyor mounted for travel below the plunger in its outwardly swung position, said conveyor having a plurality of receiving cups or pockets for the tubes, substantially as' described.

10. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, comprising a vertically reciprocating plunger, means for swinging said plunger outwardly upon its ascending movement, means for automatically stripping the formed tubes from the plunger as the latter ascends, a

conveyor mounted for travel below the plunger in its outwardly swung position,

said conveyor having a plurality of receiving cups or pockets for the tubes, and means for imparting a step-by-step movement to the conveyor, substantially as described.

11. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes having a reciprocating plunger around which the tubes are formed, means for periodically admitting air to the interior of the formed tubes while on the plunger to thereby strip them from the plunger, and separate means for receiving each of the tubes as it is stripped from the plunger, substantially as described.

12. An extrusion machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes having a hollow plunger upon which the tubes are formed, means for periodically admitting from, a conveyor comprising a plurality of separate cups each adapted to receive a formed tube, and means for moving the conveyor in timed relation to the operation of a machine, substantially as described.

formed, of means for automatically stripping the formed tubes from said plunger.

15. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, the combination with a vertically reciprocating plunger upon which the tubes are formed, of means for periodically supplying fluid under pressure to the plunger for stripping the formed tubes therefrom.

16. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible metal tubes, the combination with a horizontally swinging plunger upon which the tubes are formed, of means for periodically supplying fluid under pressure to the plunger for automatically stripping formed tubes therefrom.

17. In a' machine for the manufacture of collapsible tubes, a die, a plunger, means for producing relative movement between the die and plunger in a direction axially of the plunger to bring the die, and plunger into cooperative engagement for forming a tube, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to the plunger for stripping formed tubes therefrom;

18. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible tubes, a die, a plunger, means for producin relative movement between the die and pl unger in a direction axially of the plunger to bring the die and plunger into cooperative engagement for forming a. tube, means for supplying fluid under pressure to the plunger for stripping formed tubes therefrom, and conveying means receiving ,the formed tubes as stripped from the plunger.

19. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible tubes, a die, means for deliver-- ing blanks thereto, a plunger, means for the plunger to bring the die and plunger into cooperative engagement for forming a tube, and means for supplying fluid under pressure to the plunger for stripping formed tubes therefrom.

20. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible tubes, a die, means for delivering blanks thereto, a plunger, means for producing relative movement between the die and plunger in a direction axially of the plunger to bring the die and plunger into cooperative engagement for forming a tube, means for supplying fluid under pressure to the plunger for, stripping formed tubes therefrom, and conveying means receiving the formeu tubes as strippeol from the plunger.

'21. In a machine for the manufacture of collapsible tubes, a die, a plunger, means for producing relative movement between the die and plunger in a direction axially of the plunger to bring the die and plunger into cooperative engagement forforniing a, tube, means for moving the plunger out of line with the tube forming position, and means for supplying fluid under pressure for automatically stripping the formed tube from the plunger.

2211a a collapsible tube forming machine, a forming plunger having a passage 15 In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 20 m hand.

y WALTER 'l. DAVIS. 

